The North Olympic Peninsula saw little change in its unemployment rates last month despite a loss of 400 seasonal workers from the labor force, state officials said.
Clallam County unemployment dipped from a revised 7.6 percent in August to a preliminary 7.4 percent in September, the state Employment Security Department estimated Tuesday.
Jefferson County unemployment went from a revised 7.2 percent in August to a preliminary 7.3 percent last month, officials said.
Clallam County had 25,068 working residents and 1,995 seeking work in September. The county’s labor force shrunk by 220, from 27,283 to 27,063, since August, according to the latest estimates.
Jefferson County had 10,375 employed residents and 819 looking for a job in September. Its labor force shrunk by 180 residents, from 11,374 to 11,194, in September, officials said.
Employment Security considers a person unemployed if he or she is available for work and has actively sought work in the past month.
North Olympic Peninsula unemployment rates were lower in both counties in September 2015 at 7.0 percent in Clallam County and 6.4 percent in Jefferson County.
Unemployment rates at the county level are not seasonally adjusted because the sample size is too small to accommodate the additional analysis, officials said.
The seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate dipped from a revised 5.7 percent in August to a preliminary 5.6 percent in September.
The private sector added 14,300 jobs and the public sector added 5,700 jobs for an increase of 20,000 jobs statewide, Employment Security estimated.
The Seattle metropolitan area saw its unemployment rate fall from 4.1 percent in August to 3.9 percent in September.
Ferry County had the highest jobless rate at 8.8 percent in September, Employment Security said.
The national unemployment rate went from 4.9 percent to 5.0 percent last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
